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ORCAS OF THE NORTHERN FJORDS 

winter whales of norwegian arctic

photos by Alessandro Bee

videos by Giovanni Bee

norway, orca, tromso, skjervoy,  northern fjords, humpback, whale, winter

I fiordi dell'artico norvegese, ogni inverno, sono teatro di una grande migrazione. Famiglie di orche e di megattere raggiungono le fredde acque del Troms og Finnmark alla ricerca di immensi banchi di aringhe...

The fjords of the Norwegian Arctic, every winter, are the scene of a great migration. Orcas pods  and humpbacks reach the cold waters of Troms og Finnmark in search of huge shoals of herring...

norway, orca, tromso, skjervoy,  northern fjords, humpback, whale, winter

"Le orche per me sono i giganti del mare. Le megattere sono decisamente più grandi, ma le orche per me simboleggiano la forza, l'eleganza e la bellezza dell'oceano".

(Ekaterina Bee)

Ekaterina Bee, norway, orca, tromso, skjervoy,  northern fjords, humpback, whale, winter

"Orcas for me are the giants of the sea. Humpbacks are definitely bigger, but orcas, in my opinion, symbolize the power, elegance and beauty of the ocean".

(Ekaterina Bee)

Ekaterina Bee, norway, orca, tromso, skjervoy,  northern fjords, humpback, whale, winter
norway, orca, tromso, skjervoy,  northern fjords, humpback, whale, winter

"Le megattere mi sono piaciute tanto quando saltavano fuori dall’acqua. Erano enormi e mi davano una sensazione di forza e di potenza". (Ekaterina Bee)

norway, orca, tromso, skjervoy,  northern fjords, humpback, whale, winter

"I liked humpbacks so much when they jumped out of the water. They were huge and gave me a feeling of strength and power".

(Ekaterina Bee)

norway, orca, tromso, skjervoy,  northern fjords, humpback, whale, winter

"Adoro vedere gli animali liberi in natura, nel loro ambiente. Le orche e le megattere che nuotano nell'Oceano, le aquile e i gabbiani che volano sopra i fiordi innevati". (Ekaterina Bee)

"I love seeing animals free in nature, in their environment. Orcas and humpbacks swimming in the ocean, eagles and seagulls flying over the snowy fjords".

(Ekaterina Bee)

norway, orca, tromso, skjervoy,  northern fjords, humpback, whale, winter
norway, orca, tromso, skjervoy,  northern fjords, humpback, whale, winter
norway, orca, tromso, skjervoy,  northern fjords, humpback, whale, winter, seagull
white-tailed sea eagle, norway, orca, tromso, skjervoy,  northern fjords, humpback, whale, winter
white-tailed sea eagle, norway, orca, tromso, skjervoy,  northern fjords, humpback, whale, winter

"Durante la mia prima escursione alla ricerca delle orche, ho visto un cucciolo di orca col tipico musetto arancione. Era lungo circa due metri e mezzo!

 

Io e la guida abbiamo avuto la fortuna di vederlo a un paio di metri dalla barca e siamo stati gli unici due a vederlo, perché si è immerso subito dopo vicino alla sua mamma". (Ekaterina Bee)

norway, orca, tromso, skjervoy,  northern fjords, humpback, whale, winter

"During my first excursion in search of the orcas, I saw a orca calf with the typical orange face. It was about two and a half meters long.

The guide and I were lucky enough to see it a couple of meters from the boat and we were the only two to see the calf, because he immediately dived next to his mom".

(Ekaterina Bee)

norway, orca, tromso, skjervoy,  northern fjords, humpback, whale, winter

"Mi affascinano le orche quando spuntano dal nulla, tutto a un tratto, e sembrano galleggiare sull'acqua, possenti e leggere allo stesso tempo". (Ekaterina Bee)

norway, orca, tromso, skjervoy,  northern fjords, humpback, whale, winter
Orcas Eka.jpg

"I'm charmed by orcas when they pop out of nowhere, all of a sudden, and seem to float on the water, powerful and gentle at the same time"

(Ekaterina Bee)

Ekaterina, drawing, norway, orca, tromso, skjervoy,  northern fjords, humpback, whale, winter
Ekaterina, drawing, norway, orca, tromso, skjervoy,  northern fjords, humpback, whale, winter
norway, orca, tromso, skjervoy,  northern fjords, humpback, whale, winter
norway, orca, tromso, skjervoy,  northern fjords, humpback, whale, winter

LO SAPEVI CHE?

Le orche sono cetacei appartenenti alla famiglia dei delfinidi.

Esistono vari sottotipi di orche, chiamati "ecotipi", caratterizzati da diverse forme e dimensioni del corpo e della pinna dorsale, e dalla diversa posizione delle macchie di colore bianco.

 

Generalmente i diversi ecotipi vengono indicati come A, B, C e D, ma vari studi sotto tuttora in corso. Le orche possono vivere in tutti gli oceani”.

norway, orca, tromso, skjervoy,  northern fjords, humpback, whale, winter

DID YOU KNOW THAT?

Orcas are cetaceans belonging to the Delphinidae family.

 

There are various subtypes of orcas, called "ecotypes", characterized by different shapes and sizes of the body and the dorsal fin, and by the different position of the white spots.

Generally the different ecotypes are indicated as A, B, C and D, but various studies are still underway. Orcas can live in all oceans.

norway, orca, tromso, skjervoy,  northern fjords, humpback, whale, winter
norway, orca, tromso, skjervoy,  northern fjords, humpback, whale, winter

LO SAPEVI CHE?

Il nome megattera deriva dal greco μέγα πτερόν (mega pterón), che significa "grande ala".

Questo perchè la sua caratteristica principale è proprio quella di avere delle grandi pinne pettorali, lunghe fino a un terzo del corpo, ben visibili quando nuota o salta fuori dall'acqua.

Ekaterina Bee, norway, orca, tromso, skjervoy,  northern fjords, humpback, whale, winter
norway, orca, tromso, skjervoy,  northern fjords, humpback, whale, winter

DID YOU KNOW THAT?

Its scientific name, Megaptera, derives from the Greek μέγα πτερόν (mega pterón), meaning, "large-winged".

This name refers to its long, white, wing-like flippers, up to a third of the body long, clearly visible when the humpack is swimming or jumping out of the water.

norway, orca, tromso, skjervoy,  northern fjords, humpback, whale, winter
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